Credit: © Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
By the early 20th century both women and men embraced the culture of physical education promoted in Pennsylvania schools. Ladies basketball teams exemplified the spirit of intercollegiate and intramural sports that opened up new opportunities for both sexes. From the elementary to the collegiate level, sports became an important component of the curriculum and a means to foster institutional identity. The fulfillment of this century-long tradition came with the 1960s with the federal government requirements of funding parity in athletic programs regardless of gender.
